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he told them to permit it. At this the Samaritans were vexed, and they persuade the nations in Syria to ask the satraps to stop the rebuilding of the temple. And the prefects of Syria and Phoenicia, having gone up to Jerusalem, asked by whose permission they were rebuilding the temple as a fortress and surrounding the city with very strong walls. But Zerubbabel and the high priest Jesus said that the building was first permitted by Cyrus, and then again by Darius. But the governors of the regions of Syria and Phoenicia did not decide to stop the building of the works, but wrote to Darius immediately. And while the Jews were terrified lest the king should change his mind about what he had ordained, Haggai and Zechariah the prophets urged them to be of good courage and to suspect nothing undesirable. Believing the prophets, therefore, they applied themselves intently to the building. And Darius, having received the letters and the accusations of the Samaritans, that the Jews were fortifying the city and building the temple as a fortress, and that Cambyses had forbidden their building, ordered that a search be made in the royal records concerning this matter. And it was found written in Ecbatana, in the fortress that is in Media, that in the first year of his reign 1.272 Cyrus had commanded the temple in Jerusalem and the altar to be built, and he ordered the expense for these things to be made from the royal funds, and the vessels of the temple to be returned, and he commanded the rulers there to assist in the work and to provide for the Jews for sacrifice bulls and rams and lambs and kids, and fine flour and wine and oil. Darius, having found these things in the records, wrote back to those who had sent the letter: "Having found the copy of the letter for you in the records of Cyrus, I have sent it, and I wish for everything to be done as it contains. Farewell." And when the governors of those regions learned the king's will, they cooperated with the Jews. And the temple was built in seven years, and the Israelites offered sacrifices in renewal of their former blessings. And when the feast of unleavened bread was at hand, all the people flocked from the villages into the city, and they celebrated the feast and performed the sacrifice called the Passover. And they dwelt in Jerusalem, using a form of government that was an aristocracy with an oligarchy. For the priests were in charge of affairs until the descendants of the Hasmonaeans happened to reign. For before the captivity they were ruled by kings for five hundred and thirty-two years, six months, and ten days; and before the kings, rulers governed them who were called judges and monarchs. And they lived governed in this manner for more than five hundred years after Moses and Joshua. But the Samaritans, being hostilely disposed toward them, did many evil things to the Jews. Therefore, ambassadors were sent from Jerusalem to Darius, 1.273 Zerubbabel and four others of the rulers. And when the king learned the accusations against the Samaritans, he wrote to the cavalry commanders of Samaria and the council not to trouble the Jews, but also to supply them from the royal treasury out of the taxes of Samaria with everything that is useful for their sacrifices. And when Darius died, his son Xerxes took over the kingdom and inherited his piety toward God, and he was most generous toward the Jews. And there was in Babylon at that time Ezra, a good man and most exact in his experience of the laws of Moses. This man became a friend to Xerxes, and wishing to go up to Jerusalem and to bring with him some of the Hebrews in Babylon, he requested the king to make him known to the satraps through his letters. And he writes these things. "Considering it a work of my own benevolence for those of the Israelites who wish to depart together to Jerusalem, I have commanded this for Ezra the priest and reader of the divine law, and let whoever wishes, go. And whatever silver and gold may be found in the land of the Babylonians designated for God, all this I command to be for

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ελεγεν αὐτοῖς ἐφιέναι. πρὸς ταῦτα οἱ Σαμαρεῖται ἠχθέσθησαν, καὶ πείθουσι τὰ ἐν Συρίᾳ εθνη δεηθῆναι τῶν σατραπῶν ἐπισχεῖν τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν ἀνέγερσιν. ἀναβάντες δὲ εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα οἱ Συρίας ἐπάρχοντες καὶ Φοινίκης ἠρώτων τίνος συγχωρήσαντος ὡς φρούριον τὸν ναὸν ἀνεγείρουσι καὶ τῇ πόλει τείχη σφόδρα περιβάλλουσιν ἰσχυρά. Ζοροβάβελ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ̓Ιησοῦς ἐκ Κύρου πρῶτον ἐπιτραπῆναι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν εφασαν, ειτ' αυθις ἐκ τοῦ ∆αρείου. οἱ δ' επαρχοι τῶν τῆς Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης χωρῶν τὴν μὲν τῶν εργων οἰκοδομὴν ἐπισχεῖν οὐκ εκριναν, ∆αρείῳ δὲ παραχρῆμα εγραψαν. τῶν δὲ ̓Ιουδαίων κατεπτηχότων μὴ μεταδόξῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ ων ᾠκονόμησεν, ̓Αγγαῖος καὶ Ζαχαρίας οἱ προφῆται θαρρεῖν αὐτοὺς παρώρμων καὶ μηδὲν ὑφορᾶσθαι ἀβούλητον. πιστεύοντες ουν τοῖς προφήταις ἐντεταμένως ειχοντο τῆς οἰκοδομῆς. ∆αρεῖος δὲ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς δεξάμενος καὶ τὰς τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν κατηγορίας, οτι τήν τε πόλιν ὀχυροῦσιν ̓Ιουδαῖοι καὶ τὸν ναὸν οἰκοδομοῦσιν ὡς φρούριον, καὶ οτι Καμβύσης τὴν τούτων ἐκώλυσεν οἰκοδομήν, προσέταξεν ἐν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ὑπομνήμασι ζητηθῆναι τὰ περὶ τούτου. καὶ εὑρέθη ἐν ̓Εκβατάνοις τῇ βάρει τῇ ἐν Μηδίᾳ γεγραμμένον ὡς τῷ πρώτῳ ετει τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας 1.272 Κῦρος ἐκέλευσε τὸν ναὸν οἰκοδομηθῆναι τὸν ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ τὴν εἰς ταῦτα δαπάνην ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν διετάξατο γίνεσθαι, καὶ τὰ τοῦ ναοῦ σκεύη ἀποδοθῆναι, καὶ συλλαβέσθαι πρὸς τὸ εργον τοῖς ἐκεῖσε αρχουσιν ἐκέλευσε καὶ τελεῖν τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις εἰς θυσίαν ταύρους καὶ κριοὺς καὶ αρνας καὶ ἐρίφους σεμίδαλίν τε καὶ οινον καὶ ελαιον. ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι ∆αρεῖος εὑρὼν ἀντέγραψε τοῖς ἐπεσταλκόσι "τὸ ἀντίγραφον ὑμῖν τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν εὑρὼν τοῖς Κύρου ἀπέσταλκα, καὶ βούλομαι γενέσθαι πάντα ὡς αὐτὴ περιέχει. ερρωσθε." γνόντες δὲ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως προαίρεσιν οἱ τῶν χωρῶν ἐκείνων ἐπιτροπεύοντες συνήργουν τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις. καὶ ᾠκοδομήθη ἐν ετεσιν ἑπτὰ ὁ ναός, καὶ εθυσαν οἱ ̓Ισραηλῖται θυσίας ἀνανεωτικὰς τῶν προτέρων ἀγαθῶν. τῆς δὲ τῶν ἀζύμων ἑορτῆς ἐνστάσης συνερρύη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐκ τῶν κωμῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν ηγαγον καὶ τὴν πάσχα προσαγορευομένην θυσίαν ἐτέλεσαν. Κατῴκησαν δ' ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις πολιτείᾳ χρώμενοι ἀριστοκρατικῇ μετὰ ὀλιγαρχίας. οἱ γὰρ ἱερεῖς προεστήκεσαν τῶν πραγμάτων αχρις ου τοὺς ̓Ασαμωναίου συνέβη βασιλεύειν ἐκγόνους. πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐβασιλεύοντο ἐπὶ ετη πεντακόσια τριάκοντα δύο, μῆνας εξ, ἡμέρας δέκα· πρὸ δὲ τῶν βασιλέων αρχοντες αὐτοὺς διεῖπον οἱ προσαγορευόμενοι κριταὶ καὶ μόναρχοι. καὶ τοῦτον πολιτευόμενοι τὸν τρόπον ἐπ' ετεσι πλείοσιν η πεντακοσίοις διήγαγον μετὰ Μωυσῆν τε καὶ ̓Ιησοῦν. Οἱ δέ γε Σαμαρεῖς ἀπεχθῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακείμενοι πολλὰ κακὰ τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους εἰργάζοντο. πρέσβεις ουν ἐξ ̔Ιεροσολύμων πρὸς ∆αρεῖον ἐστάλησαν 1.273 Ζοροβάβελ καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων ετεροι τέσσαρες. μαθὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ κατὰ τῶν Σαμαρέων αἰτιάματα, εγραψε πρὸς τοὺς ἱππάρχους τῆς Σαμαρείας καὶ τὴν βουλὴν μήτι ἐνοχλεῖν ̓Ιουδαίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ χορηγεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γαζοφυλακίου τῶν φόρων τῆς Σαμαρείας πάνθ' οσα πρὸς τὰς θυσίας αὐτοῖς ἐστι χρήσιμα. ∆αρείου δὲ τελευτήσαντος παραλαβὼν τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ Ξέρξης καὶ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν εὐσέβειαν διεδέξατο, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους εσχε φιλοτιμότατα. ην δ' ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τότε Εζρας ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ τῶν νόμων Μωυσέως εἰς ἐμπειρίαν ἀκριβέστατος. ουτος φίλος τῷ Ξέρξῃ γίνεται, καὶ ἀναβῆναι θελήσας εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα καί τινας ἐπαγαγέσθαι τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ̔Εβραίων, ἐδεήθη τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ γραμμάτων αὐτοῦ γνωρίσαι τοῖς σατράπαις αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ γράφει ταῦτα. "τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας εργον ειναι νομίσας τὸ τοὺς βουλομένους τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν συναπαίρειν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, Εζρᾳ ἱερεῖ καὶ ἀναγνώστῃ τοῦ θείου νόμου τοῦτο προσέταξα, καὶ ὁ βουλόμενος ἀπίτω. καὶ αργυρος καὶ χρυσὸς οσος αν εὑρεθείη ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ὠνομασμένος τῷ θεῷ, τοῦτον πάντα κελεύω εἰς